President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated government’s assurances that it is taking steps to address all of the challenges the country is facing, including the challenges facing Eskom and rising crime.

He was speaking on Monday on the river bank at the Emlotheni Township at Veeplaas in Gqeberha, where he was leading the national Nelson Mandela Day activities.

“Yes, we are currently engulfed by a number of challenges. Some of them are security related and the police are now taking action against a number of pockets of people who are doing wrong things. Be it at Eskom, be it killing people at taverns. All that is now being attended to quite strongly and firmly.

“The things that are happening now that are causing people anger, that are causing people anxiety are going to be addressed and are being addressed now as we speak from energy to criminality, to disorder…all those matters are being addressed. And I hope that we will be able to restore the fabric of this nation,” he said.

Turning to the issues besetting the state power utility, Eskom, President Ramaphosa said he has held several meetings with the top brass of the utility.

“The crisis that we are going through now has been caused by a number of factors and you can never really pinpoint one. It is a multiplicity of factors, of missed opportunities or missed actions and we are going to be addressing that. Soon we will have something to say to address the full spectrum of what we are dealing with and how we believe we can deal with it going forward.

“I am going to be meeting people in business. I am going to be meeting the trade unions and I’m going to be meeting a whole lot of organisations as well so that we bring about an understanding of how we should move forward,” he said.

On Mandela Day and its meaning, President Ramaphosa said the day represents a moment where South Africans should reflect on the ideals that the former late President stood for.

“Today is a very special day in our annual calendar where we remember the father of our democracy and nation, Nelson Mandela. Where we should remember him is in terms of the values that he stood for and in terms of the work that he did for the vulnerable, the majority of our people.

“This is a day where we need to rededicate ourselves to the values that Nelson Mandela stood for…and rededicate ourselves to building a South Africa that Nelson Mandela wanted to see,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency